Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF), Reference Guide

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About this guide

This guide is intended for users of the Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF). The Postal Code Conversion File is a digital file that provides a correspondence between the Canada Post Corporation (CPC)’s six-character postal code and Statistics Canada’s standard geographical areas for which census data and other statistics are produced. The PCCF contains postal code data under licence from the Canada Post Corporation (CPC).

This guide provides general information about the PCCF and its intended use, as well as a description of the methodology used to create the PCCF and of the data quality and limitations of PCCF contents. Also included in the guide are technical specifications, including a record layout of the fields in the PCCF, a glossary which explains geographic terms and concepts, as well as appendices which hold supplementary information and a list of related products and services.

This guide is based on the best information available at the time of its release. It in no way constitutes a warranty of the data in the event that users may observe characteristics that deviate from those stated in this document. All efforts have been made to ensure a thorough verification of this product; however, there is no guarantee that the data are 100% accurate.

Reference dates

The reference date for postal codes contained in this product is September 2006.

The geographic reference date is a date determined by Statistics Canada to finalize the geographic framework for which the census data will be collected, tabulated and reported. The geographic reference date for the 2001 census was January 1, 2001. The reference date for the geographic areas in this file is January 1, 2001.